An Angel's Angel
by EriksAngel2
Summary: Story of Erik and Christine's first meeting.
1. Chapter 1

The day Christine Daae arrived at the Opera House was one of the greatest days of her life. She had a place to stay on her own. She had a good job, and she had a new friend. She was only a chorus girl, but she was glad to be performing. She soon grew discouraged though when thoughts of her father began to haunt her once again. He had wanted great things for her. He had wanted her to be a famous performer. This thought followed her into her dressing room one day after a rehearsal. She sat down at her vanity and began to cry. Suddenly she heard a voice. The voice, while unknown to Christine, belonged to Erik Destler; more commonly known as the Phantom of the Opera.  
"Why do you cry child?" he asked. He regretted the question the moment it was out of his mouth. She sat up straight and looked around. She saw no one.  
"Who is there? Who are you?" She questioned fearfully. For a moment Erik hesitated. He didn't want to tell Christine who he was.  
"I want to help you. Why are you crying?"  
"My father wanted me to be a great performer, but I am only a chorus girl," She replied.  
"I can help you become a great performer," Erik told her. From his hiding spot behind the mirror, Erik heard Christine gasp.  
"I know who you are," she said excitedly. Erik's eyes widened. How could she know?  
"Y-you do?" he asked nervously.  
"Yes! You are the Angel of Music! My father sent you to me didn't he?" she replied. Erik tilted his head to the side in thought; The Angel of Music? For now it would work as a way to see Christine.  
"Yes. That's right. I am your Angel of Music," he said.  
"I knew it!" Christine yelled in childlike glee. "I knew you would come!"  
"Well," Erik cleared his throat, "your lessons will not be easy. You will have to do everything I say if you want to become great. Are you prepared to do that?"  
"Yes I am! I want to make my father proud," Christine stated.  
"Good. Your first lesson will be.tomorrow night at seven. I will come to you. Just make sure you are in here. Alone," Erik told her.  
"I will be. Thank you Angel."  
"You are most welcome Christine," he replied and walked away. He sighed deeply when he was a few yards away from the back of the mirror. What am I doing? He asked himself. I'm not a teacher. I don't know the first thing about teaching voice lessons. 


	2. Chapter 2

//=italics  
  
The next day at seven o'clock, Erik slowly made his way towards the end of the passage. Christine was already waiting for him when he arrived.  
  
"Christine," Erik called softly.  
  
"I'm here Angel," Christine replied. "I'm ready for my lesson."  
  
"Alright, sing me the aria from Faust please," he instructed. He watched her carefully as she sang. Her tone was perfect and she only had a few sharp or flat notes. She finished the song and waited. Erik thought a moment before giving his comments.  
  
"You have a wonderful voice Christine. You should be the leading soprano, not Carlotta. Now, you had perfect tone and diction. A few notes were off pitch, but that is to be expected especially when unaccompanied. Your posture is that of a dancer though. Stand straight but relaxed. You should be able to feel your body expand when you breathe. Don't lock your knees and keep your tailbone tucked in," he told her. She changed her posture and waited to see if she was right. When Erik didn't say anything, she asked him.  
  
"Is this how I am supposed to be?"  
  
"Yes, very good." Erik replied. The lesson continued and Erik was very pleased with the results. At 8 o'clock Erik decided to end the lesson. "Well Christine, you have done very well tonight. We will do one lesson each week at the same time. Is that alright with you?"  
  
"Yes of course Angel," she answered.  
  
"Good. I will talk to you next week then. Bonne nuit Christine," Erik said.  
  
"Good night Angel," Christine replied. Erik walked away slowly. When he returned to his lair he pulled off his cloak and hat and poured himself a glass of wine. He sipped it thoughtfully as he relived the night's events. He vowed silently that he would make sure that Christine became a star.  
  
Christine sighed and sat in front of her vanity. She picked up her brush and absently brushed her long brown hair. She replayed the Angel's words in her mind. His voice was so wonderful. It was smooth and melodic like a perfectly tuned instrument. He was very obviously a singer. She pondered what he looked like.  
  
/I wonder if he's handsome/, she thought to herself. Then she decided he must be. All the pictures of angels she had seen in church as a young girl showed them as beautiful women or handsome men in flowing white robes. She longed to see her Angel. /Sometime I will ask him if he will show himself to me/, she promised herself. /Until then, I will just have to imagine./ 


	3. Chapter 3

"Christine! Please pay attention or excuse yourself from rehearsal!" Madame Giry snapped. It was two weeks later and Christine had her thoughts on other things than the rehearsal.  
  
"I'm sorry Madame Giry," she apologized quickly. "I can pay attention."  
  
"I hope so. We don't need dancers who have their minds elsewhere," replied the ballet leader. The rehearsal continued with little excitement. Suddenly the lights went low for a split second then returned to normal. The girls all screamed.  
  
"It's the ghost!" Meg Giry shrieked.  
  
"Hush girls!" reprimanded Madame Giry. "Stay here while I go find out what happened." The girls all huddled to the middle of the stage even though the lights were back on and shining brightly.  
  
Only Christine stood alone and apart from the rest. "My Angel will protect me," she thought to herself. "He won't let anything happen to me." She glanced around the house. As she scanned the room, something caught her eye. There was someone in Box 5. She gasped and looked back towards the other dancers. None of them had noticed the man watching them. She turned her eyes back to the box. The man was still there staring; staring at her! She backed up a few steps and swallowed nervously. She didn't know why she didn't shout out so that the others would see the man. It was as though his eyes kept her silent.  
  
"Christine what's wrong?" Christine gasped and looked at Meg who had addressed her.  
  
She looked back at Box 5. The man was gone. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Nothing's wrong."  
  
"You look terrified," Meg argued. "What happened?"  
  
"I was just frightened that's all," Christine replied.  
  
"We were all scared," Meg told her. The other girls nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well there was no reason to be." Madame Giry walked back onstage. "The managers have spoken to the stagehands and it will not happen again."  
  
"So it was just an accident?" Meg asked.  
  
"Yes Meg, it was just an accident," her mother replied. There was a collective sigh from the dancers; all of them but Christine. She still had a worried look on her face.  
  
"What is it Christine?" Madame Giry asked.  
  
"It's just that while you were gone I- I saw someone," Christine said softly.  
  
"Saw someone where?"  
  
"In- in the ghost's box. In Box 5." The girls gasped and Meg covered her mouth with her hands.  
  
"Was it...him?" one girl asked.  
  
"What did he look like?" another questioned.  
  
"He was just watching me. He was dressed in black and wore a white mask over half of his face," Christine replied.  
  
"It was him," Madame Giry said warily. The girls all looked up to Box 5 and, just when they did, the stage went black again. Cries of terror rose from the dancers and Christine felt silent tears run down her cheeks. The darkness pressed in on her like a weight. She had no idea where she was facing. Suddenly, she felt someone wrap an arm around her waist. She gasped and tried to pull away but they had her too tightly.  
  
"Christine?! Where are you Christine?!" Meg yelled.  
  
She tried to yell, but the person holding her covered her mouth with their hand. She struggled again and then heard a familiar voice in her ear.  
  
"You're fine Christine. I'll take care of you," it said. The hand slid off her mouth and down her neck.  
  
"Angel?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "I'm here." 


	4. Chapter 4

As Christine was pulled off the stage, she could still hear the others calling for her. She opened her mouth to yell back, but her Angel covered her mouth with his hand. "Do not speak. I don't want them to find us," he said. She nodded and they continued through the house in the darkness. She had no idea where they were going. She could only trust her Angel. Once they were a good distance away from the stage, Christine stopped.  
  
"Where are we going Angel?" she asked. Her Angel looked back at her. She could not see him but she knew he was looking at her.  
  
"I'm taking you somewhere safe," he replied. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and they kept walking. After a while, he murmured, "we're going into the main lobby now." She heard a door open and felt a difference in the room but, unknown to her until now, the entire opera house was in total darkness.  
  
"Angel, how can you tell where we are?" she asked.  
  
"I've been here for quite a while now Christine. I know everything there is to know about the Opera Populaire," he told her. Suddenly, the sound of someone running could be heard. The person ran right into Christine.  
  
"Ouch!" she cried and fell to the floor.  
  
"Christine!" her Angel called.  
  
"Who's there?" a third voice asked.  
  
"Christine where are you?"  
  
"Who's that?" the third person questioned.  
  
"Raoul?" Christine asked. "Is that you?"  
  
"Christine? Is that my little Daae?" Raoul asked.  
  
"Christine, give me your hand," her Angel said. She stood up and reached in front of her. Soon she felt her Angel's gloved hand grasp hers. "Come Christine."  
  
"Wait! Raoul, are you still there?" she asked.  
  
"Yes Christine," Raoul answered.  
  
"Give me your hand," she stated. She felt Raoul's fingers close around hers.  
  
"Christine!" her Angel said sharply. "We need to go!"  
  
"Yes I know Angel. Can't we take Raoul with us?" 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I would like to thank those of you who take the time to read and review my stories. I enjoy the feedback and the comments. Please, however, make sure your reviews are about the story and not your opinions of me as a person. I have received a review like that and I really didn't appreciate it. If you have a negative opinion of me, that's fine, but I don't need to know about it. Please, if you want to say something about me, keep it at least somewhat positive. Give negative reviews of my story if you want, but not of me. Thank you and enjoy the story! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Erik's mouth dropped open, unseen by any of the others. "No Christine. We must hurry now." He started walking again and felt Christine's hand slip out of his. "Christine!" he cried. "Christine come here!"  
  
"Where are you Angel?!" Her voice sounded far off and scared.  
  
"Angel? Christine who is that?" Raoul asked.  
  
"Christine keep talking. I'll find you," Erik said.  
  
"I'm here Angel; over here. Please hurry, I don't like the dark," she said barely loud enough to be heard.  
  
Erik sighed in relief when he felt her hand. He grabbed it and pulled her close. "Please Christine, stay close to me," he instructed. "We can drop Raoul off near the managers' office. We'll be there soon."  
  
"Is that alright Raoul?" Christine asked.  
  
"Yes, that's fine," he answered.  
  
"Good," Erik said tersely. A few moments later, Erik stopped. "Here we are."  
  
"I can't see the door," Raoul stated.  
  
"It's right here," Erik said as though he should be able to see it. He placed a hand on the doorknob and opened the door a bit. There were a few candles burning inside and the light shone out into the hall. Erik turned his face quickly away so that Christine would not see his mask.  
  
"Goodbye Christine," Raoul said and kissed Christine's hand. "Might I have the honor of taking you to dinner tonight mademoiselle?"  
  
"I'd be delighted monsieur," Christine replied playfully.  
  
"Very well then, I'll see you at 6," Raoul stated.  
  
"Yes monsieur, I will be waiting," she told him. The door closed with a snap and Erik stood silently, trying to control his anger. He had just heard a man ask Christine, his Christine, his Angel, out to dinner. It was a slap in the face; metaphorically speaking of course. He could never ask Christine out to dinner or to see a show. He could never take her hand and stroll idly down the Parisian streets with her. And, as far as he knew, she thought of him only as the voice, her teacher, her Angel of Music. Dutifully he had come to her each night to further her talents and now, just when he had thought them alone together, another man had the nerve to ask her to dinner right in front of his face.  
  
"Come Christine," he said quietly so as not to let her hear the bitter edge in his voice.  
  
"Is something wrong Angel?" Christine asked, the playful tone still evident in her perfectly trained singer's voice.  
  
"No Christine, why ever would you think that?" Erik replied. She remained silent and took his hand again. Taking long strides, Erik made his way down the hall. Christine had to jog to keep up with him, so fast was his pace. He could tell they were nearing the marble staircase when something he had not expected happened. 


	6. Chapter 6

All at once, light filled the foyer. Christine blinked furiously against the abrupt change in brightness. She pulled her hand away from Erik's in order to shield her eyes. Erik swore loudly and started running. Halfway down the hall he ran into someone. The person screamed as she fell. Erik stumbled as her body fell into his path. He jumped back up and kept running. He knew he was still in plain sight of anyone in the hall.  
  
Christine looked around the foyer for her Angel. She couldn't see him anywhere. "Angel?!" she called. "Angel where are you?!" She looked around once again when all of a sudden she heard a piercing scream.  
  
"It's the Ghost!" a woman shrieked. Several people screamed and pointed at a black clad figure running down the hall. "Oh God help us!!"  
  
Christine could only watch in horror as someone tried to stop the Ghost. He stepped out in front of the Ghost and said something to him. The Ghost grabbed the man's neck and, lifting him off the ground, threw him against a wall. The man slid down, blood trickling from his head. The Ghost turned briefly and stared right at Christine. He touched the rim of his black fedora before turning quickly and sprinting down the hall. A few moments later, Christine heard someone come up behind her.  
  
"Christine, my God, are you alright?" Raoul asked gripping her shoulders.  
  
"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, I'm fine."  
  
Raoul pulled Christine into a tight hug. "Oh thank God," he replied. Christine wrapped her arms around him and began to cry. Raoul stepped back from her. "Christine, what's wrong dear?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, it was horrible! That man over there, I think he might have killed him!" she cried.  
  
Raoul turned to where the man was lying on the ground. "Good Lord," he muttered. He looked around at the crowd of people just standing in the hall. "Someone fetch a doctor!" he shouted.  
  
"I'll do it!" a man offered and ran out the front door.  
  
Raoul nodded and went to the man on the ground. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" he asked, shaking the man gently. Raoul took the man's pulse. "He's not dead," he informed the crowd. "He's breathing but only just." Just then, the man came back with the doctor.  
  
"What happened here?" snapped the doctor.  
  
"It was the Ghost," Raoul replied.  
  
"Ghost," the doctor scoffed. "I don't want to hear about a Ghost! I need facts so that I can help this man!"  
  
Everyone began talking at once, eager to have their overdramatic versions of the story heard. Finally, Raoul's voice broke through the babble.  
  
"QUIET!" he roared. Everyone was. "Christine, tell the good doctor what you saw."  
  
Christine stepped timidly from the crowd. Everyone looked at her, waiting to hear her story. "I was wi-I was walking. I was walking down the hall and then someone cried out saying that they had seen the Ghost. I looked and." she trailed off.  
  
"And what woman?! What did you see?!" the doctor barked.  
  
"What did you see Christine?" Raoul asked softly, giving the doctor a stern look.  
  
"I saw.I saw him; the Ghost. Then a man, this man, tried to stop him because he was running. He said something to him, I don't know what. Then the Ghost grabbed the man by the neck and threw him against this wall and now here you have him as he is." She finished her story and looked around at the sea of faces staring at her. Everyone was very pale and frightened looking.  
  
"Very well, I hardly believe this "Ghost" of yours really exists but I will accept the rest of your story. Someone help me get this man out of here!" the doctor instructed. Two men stepped forward and helped carry the unconscious man out of the building, the doctor following behind, and Erik, unseen by anyone, listened in disgust. 


End file.
